Friends to celebrate McDill Pond refill

The Friends of McDill invite the public to join them in a celebration of the return of McDill Pond starting at 11 a.m. Saturday at Koziczikowski Park.

Mayor Andrew Halverson, Portage County Executive Patty Dreier, village of Whiting President Paul Stroik, and Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District President Jack Negaard will hold a dedication to the McDill Pond Dam, after an acknowledgment of the donation made in the name of Tracy Westfahl. Bob Spoerl donated the money to buy the dam in honor of his late mother.

The event will feature free kids activities and guided pontoon tours of McDill Pond, while boats will be ordered to travel without making a wake during the day. The Bob Brown Blues Band will play from noon to 3 p.m., and a dam duck race will start at 3:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with a lighted lake night, as homeowners on McDill will light up their shorelines while boaters cruise the lake.